I Am Vanderbilt: Billy Teets | Vanderbilt Information

Video by Zack Eagles

I Am Vanderbilt celebrates the individuals of Vanderbilt and the distinctive skills and contributions they carry to their work on the college every day.

Every year by discipline journeys, science camps, open homes and stargazing nights, 1000’s of Center Tennessee college college students and neighborhood members go to Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory, the place outreach astronomer Billy Teets engages them within the technique of lifelong studying and discovery.

“Astronomy is on the coronary heart of each little one,” Teets mentioned. “One of many nice issues about being on the observatory is that we expose them to all these totally different aspects of astronomy that they could not get at residence or at college. That actually spurs their curiosity, and loads of them go away right here desirous to know extra.”

A typical camp session at Dyer has college students establishing water rockets, making star wheels, collaborating in a planetarium present and dialogue, and utilizing dry ice to create mannequin comets—all beneath the steering of “Dr. Billy,” as he’s identified on the observatory.

Teets’ personal fascination with astronomy began in childhood and picked up steam in highschool. After taking his first physics course as a university undergrad, he switched his main from engineering to physics and set his sights on turning into an astronomer.

Whereas pursuing a Ph.D. in physics with a focus in astronomy at Vanderbilt, Teets started volunteering at Dyer Observatory, situated atop one in every of Nashville’s tallest peaks close to Radnor Lake State Park and a part of the college’s Division of Authorities and Neighborhood Relations. He fell in love with the place and the work, and after finishing his diploma joined Dyer full-time in 2012 because the observatory’s outreach astronomer.

“Billy is without doubt one of the most superb individuals I’ve ever met,” mentioned Rocky Alvey, director of Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory. “He appears to by no means tire of explaining a topic, and he has a novel capacity to take complicated science and make it comprehensible. I can’t inform you what number of instances he’s given talks or carried out workshops right here, and other people stroll away saying, ‘He made it so easy. Now I perceive it.’ Billy has a means of doing that, and we’re very fortunate to have him.”

For Teets, essentially the most satisfying a part of his function is when a “lightbulb” goes off for a pupil.

“When now we have a toddler who lastly realizes one thing and also you see their face gentle up, that’s one of the crucial rewarding issues,” he mentioned. “ that you just’ve accomplished your job and made an impression on them.”

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